Blue skies and sunshine
by Sara Loui
Summary: Sam read a letter from her father. Set after events from 'Birthday Blues' R&R plz


Disclaimer - Not mine, not making any money.  
  
Summary - Set in the afternoon of Sam's birthday which you can read about in 'Birthday Blues' should read Ok as a separate piece. If you want to read the blue series in order it would go 'Birthday Blues', 'Blue skies and sunshine', 'Blue Jell-O' and 'Singing the Blues'. There are more to come, which will slot into place. All can be read as separate pieces.  
  
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Blue Skies and Sunshine ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
They had spent the morning leisuring in each other's company, mostly in her bedroom. It was one of the most memorable downtimes and more importantly birthday's Sam Carter had enjoyed in a long time. After a time they had found themselves lounging on the couch in the living room at midday. Jack was sprawled across the sofa, his head in her lap. Sam's fingers were subconsciously weaving through his hair as they chatted about nothing in particular.  
  
"What do you say we call Daniel and Tealc and arrange to go out the next free evening we have for a dinner or a drink? Celebrate your birthday properly. We'll call Janet and Cassie as well"  
  
"Sounds good although I must admit I wasn't looking forward to celebrating my birthday, that is until I got my surprise"  
  
"Oh, something happen yesterday I should know about Major?" asked jack nonchalantly, closing his eyes as Sam's fingers slipped over his forehead for a moment and remembering other parts they had swept across the past evening and morning.  
  
Sam smiled down at him, used to his sarcasm.  
  
"Oh yes something special, I received a wonderful birthday gift from someone I've known a long time. Kinda inspired some celebration inside me"  
  
"Someone I should know about?"  
  
"Not really Sir, he's just a friend"  
  
"He?"  
  
Sam stopped running her fingers over his hair for a moment and stretched her arms before placing a hand on his chest and the other at his head again. Jack frowned when she didn't reply and opened his eyes to look up at her. Sam smiled down at him softly,  
  
"Yeah HE" she replied softly before dipping her head pressing her lips to his forehead softly. Jack grinned.  
  
"So anywhere particular you'd like to go?"  
  
"Has our ban from O'Malley lifted yet?"  
  
Jack chuckled  
  
"I'm sure if we invite the General he may be able to pull a few strings"  
  
"The more the better"  
  
"O'Malley it is, if we can get in"  
  
"Cool if not how about the new Italian's Satino's? Janet said it was pretty good"  
  
"Frasier gets herself out and about. The place just opened a few weeks back, Daniel just visited the place as well, said it was nice"  
  
Sam could have kicked herself as she had said the comment. She was possibly the only person to know Daniel and Janet had visited the restaurant together 'just as friends' or so they said. They had both been interested in the place and Cassandra had accompanied them so it couldn't be construed as a date, but still all the way the two had mooched at each other every chance they got according to Cassie. The reports from Cassie had put her and Jack's past six-year relationship to shame. She kept quiet, staring out of the window. Hopefully Jack would assume she was in a world of her own for a moment. Jack did glance up at her when she didn't rely, seeing her staring into the distance. He sat up and sank back into the sofa. Sam managed to snap herself back into the real world. She snuggled into his chest as he sat by her.  
  
"Are you going to stay tonight?"  
  
"Would you like me to stay tonight?"  
  
Sam answered his question by raising herself up and kissing him sweetly and softly. Jack licked his bottom lip slowly and smiled.  
  
"In that case maybe I'd better head home and get some stuff. I didn't exactly come prepared for a sleep over. I'd better check my messages, water the plants etc as well. I'll go by the store and pick us something up, cook a nice meal for us tonight if you'd like"  
  
"That would be nice jack, but you don't have too"  
  
"It's your birthday and I want too"  
  
"It's a date then"  
  
Jack grinned at this. The rules of dating had completely flew out of the window. Had they even had a first date before jumping into bed? Yup hey were writing a whole new set of rules. Stretching he slid an arm around Sam's shoulders and kissed her on the forehead.  
  
"I shouldn't be too long"  
  
Standing he retrieved his jacket and Sam followed him to the front door. He turned and kissed her again as he exited, she stood and bade him goodbye as he pulled out of the driveway. Turning she caught Christie her neighbour, standing by her front window staring unashamedly at her and grinning like a Cheshire cat. Sam shook her head in mock disgust receiving a thumbs up and mock applause from her neighbour before retreating to the sanctuary of her house. Wandering along the hall, Sam smiled contentedly to herself. For the next hour she pottered around the house tidying up, chatting to her plants as she worked. Mainly about Jack and the past night and morning they had spent together. As she tidied the kitchen she came across the letter Jacob had written her, the reason why Jack had landed on her doorstep the day before.  
  
Looking out of the kitchen window she decided the weather was too nice too be missed by staying cooped up inside. The blue skies were devoid of cloud and the sun was blazing. She slipped into a bikini top and shorts and poured herself a refreshing glass of fruit cocktail. Seeking shade on her back porch, she stretched out on her swing chair, letter in hand. Settling herself she opened the letter and began to read.  
  
"Happy Birthday Sam Sorry I couldn't be with you on your day, we used to make birthdays so special didn't we? For the rest of my life I doubt I'll ever get Selmac or the Tokra to understand how important birthdays are to us humans. She's asking me to point out she is protesting against this point profusely, but my point is made seeing as I have to write a letter to be given to you instead of being with you right now.  
  
I just wanted you to know I'm thinking of you today. I think about you everyday but today especially, as much as I think about Mark every time his birthday comes around, even your mom is in my thoughts more than usual on her birthday. Strange how birthdays always bring out more special memories about the people celebrating them. I have so many memories of your birthdays Sammie. Like your seventh birthday when all the lights had been turned out, you had blown out the candles, darkness engulfed us for all of two seconds but when the lights flicked back on your face was covered in icing from where Mark had pushed your head into your cake. The picture on everyone's faces was priceless. Oh for a video camera way back then. You managed to get Mark back on his seventh birthday, much to your delight and his annoyance. I can't remember your mother being too pleased you ruined her birthday cakes. She did laugh afterwards believe me."  
  
Sam smiled to herself vaguely remembering the two birthdays in question. Yes the scolding she had received from her mom had not been pretty even though she could sense her mom fighting against impending laughter. Her dad had managed to keep a straight face as her mother had scolded, but she could remember his lips twitching as well. She read on smiling.  
  
"I miss your mom a lot around birthdays Sam. I know you and Mark do as well. She loved making such a big celebration of them all. She would always protest when we wanted to make a big hoo ha about her own birthday, but for everyone else, boy could she make it special. And she infected everyone around her with excitement. I've seen that in you, get so swept up in something, you can't help but sweep others along with you. Taking them for the ride. It's a special thing, one of many things you and your mom shared.  
  
Sometimes just sometimes I wish we could celebrate birthdays like that again. I say sometimes because I don't like to muse much on the past, the past holds a lot of pain as well. I try and remember all the good times we had, and holidays seem to take top priority in those memories. Those as well as tender memories such as our wedding our yours and Mark's births."  
  
Sam nodded her head in agreement to her father's words. She was also very much like him. Thinking about it too much could hurt because those times together as a family could never be had again, and never had been for quite some time. The memories only went so far, still the memories were precious and all they had.  
  
"I was wondering how I could make this birthday as special as those others gone before it. Unfortunately, I doubt anything will ever top them, so I'm not going to try. All I can do is say that I love you very much, and I'm very proud of you. I don't think I've ever really told you how much. And your mother would be so proud of the person you've become as well. You've accomplished so much in your thirty-seven years and you have so much more ahead of you. You'll always be my little girl no matter how many more birthdays you have ahead of you. It feels good to sit back and know you're surrounded by people who love and care for you. I have a feeling you weren't looking too much forward to today. Hopefully this letter may have cheered you up a little, it isn't much but it's what a father can give his little girl, all the love in the world, Hell in the universe. After all you are reading this letter when I'm not even on the same planet!  
  
Sam wiped a threatening tear from her eye and smiled at her father humour coming out even in such a intimate part of the letter,  
  
"I will see you hopefully soon, take care and enjoy your day,  
  
Love Dad xx"  
  
Smiling Sam sipped her drink and read through the letter again; old memories of past birthdays going through her mind much like the night before, birthdays spent with her family.  
  
Jacob had been right she hadn't been looking forward to celebrating her birthday, they had been so uneventful the past few years, as she had gotten older the spark had gone. But she knew if her mom were still around each one would have been even more special than the previous. Why should now be different, they would never be the same but they could be just as memorable in different ways. Of course, her memories of this birthday were already set in her mind, Jack had made sure of that.  
  
~~~~~~~The end~~~~~~~~~ 


End file.
